OMAHA, Neb. – No. 2 Tennessee returns to the biggest stage in college baseball for the first time in 16 years this weekend, beginning its College World Series run Sunday at 2 p.m. ET against Virginia at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
The NCAA Tournament’s No. 3 overall seed, the Vols (50-16) made it to Omaha by way of going a combined 5-0 in the Knoxville Regional and the Knoxville Super Regional.
Last weekend at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, in what was the first super regional UT had ever hosted, Tennessee tallied two wins over No. 14 LSU after having already previously swept the Tigers during the regular season.
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE
Saturday, June 19
Game 1: Stanford vs. NC State | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN
Game 2: Vanderbilt vs. Arizona | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Sunday, June 20
Game 3: Tennessee vs. Virginia | 2 p.m. | ESPN2
Game 4: Texas vs. Mississippi State | 7 p.m. | ESPN2
Monday, June 21
Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser | 2 p.m. | ESPNU
Game 6: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Tuesday, June 22
Game 7: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser | 2 p.m. | ESPNU
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner | 7 p.m. | ESPN2
Wednesday, June 23
Game 9: 7 p.m. | ESPN
Thursday, June 24
Game 10: 7 p.m. | ESPN2
Friday, June 25
Game 11: 2 p.m. | ESPN2
Game 12: 7 p.m. | ESPN
Saturday, June 26
Game 13: 2 p.m. | ESPN (if necessary)
Game 14: 7 p.m. | ESPN2 (if necessary)
CWS Finals (Best-of-3 series)
Game 1: 7 p.m. | Monday, June 28 | ESPN2
Game 2: 7 p.m. | Tuesday, June 29 | ESPN
Game 3: 7 p.m. | Wednesday, June 30 | ESPN2 (if necessary)
BROADCAST INFO
TV/Stream: ESPN / ESPN2 / ESPNU
On call for Tennessee’s College World Series opener will be Tom Hart (PxP), Chris Burke (Analyst), Ben McDonald (Analyst), Kris Budden (Sideline). The game will be televised on ESPN2.
Across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, every pitch of the College World Series will be televised on an ESPN network. In addition to the broadcast crew for Tennessee’s opening game against Virginia, Karl Ravech (PxP), Kyle Peterson (Analyst), Eduardo Perez (Analyst), Kris Budden (Sideline) will also call games from Omaha.
Fans can also listen to the official Vol Network radio broadcast from the Voice of Tennessee Baseball John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara on Sports Radio WNML (FM 99.1 / AM 990) as well as UTSports.com and the UT Gameday app.
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES HISTORY
Appearances: 5 (1951, 1995, 2001, 2005, 2021)
College World Series All-Time Record: 8-8
- 1951: 4-2 (Runner-Up)
- 1995: 2-2 (T-3rd Place)
- 2001: 2-2 (T-3rd Place)
- 2005: 0-2 (T-7th Place)
Tennessee is searching for just its second all-time win in the opening game of the College World Series, as the Vols are 1-3 all-time in College World Series openers.
NOTABLE
Vitello Named Coach of the Year
Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello was named the National Coach of the Year by the NCBWA and Perfect Game on Friday.
Vitello is just the second head coach in program history to earn National Coach of the Year honors, joining legendary Vols’ skipper Rod Delmonico, who was named National Coach of the Year by Baseball America in 1995. Vitello has led the Vols to 50 wins this year, their most since winning a program-record 54 during the 1995 season. It marks just the third time in program history that the Vols have reached the 50-win mark.
Sunday’s matchup will pit two NCBWA Coaches of the Year against one another, as Vitello will oppose Virginia’s Brian O’Connor, who won the award in 2009.
Four Vols Earn All-America Honors
Third baseman Jake Rucker, shortstop Liam Spence and pitchers Chad Dallas and Sean Hunley have all garnered All-America honors in the past week following the Vols punching their ticket to Omaha. UT’s four All-Americans are tied for the most in a single-season in program history, matching the record set back in 1994.
Rucker, who was named Third Team All-American by both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball News, has put together his best season as a Vol in 2021. Entering the College World Series, Rucker leads the team and ranks 11th in the nation in hits (88), ranks second on the team in batting average (.331) and is third on the team in RBI (55).
Named a ABCA/Rawlings Third Team All-American, Spence established himself as Tennessee’s most reliable hitter for much of the season. The team leader in batting average (.339), Spence has 80 hits this season and an SEC-leading .477 on-base percentage. He also leads the team with 63 runs scored and has drawn 53 walks this year—fifth most in the nation.
A second team All-America selection by ABCA/Rawlings and a third team selection by the NCBWA, Dallas has started 16 games for the Vols and has posted an 11-1 record in the process. The Orange, Texas, native has recorded 118 strikeouts—eighth most in a single season in program history. Dallas’ 11 wins are the most by any Tennessee pitcher since 2005 and he’s currently tied for sixth in program history in single-season victories.
Hunley was named second team All-America by Baseball America. He ranks fourth all-time at Tennessee with a 2.56 ERA and is tied for fourth in program history with 13 saves. His nine saves this season are tied for fifth in program history and his 33 appearances are the most in a single season in program history.
Dynamic Duo on the Mound
Earning his 10th victory of the season during the Vols’ super regional win on Sunday win over LSU, Blade Tidwell became Tennessee’s second pitcher to reach double-digit wins this season, joining Dallas (11 wins).
It marks the third time in program history and first time since 2005 that the Vols have two pitchers with 10 or more wins. In 2005, Luke Hochevar (15) and James Adkins (10) both reached double digit wins, while in 1995, R.A. Dickey (14) and Ryan Meyers (10) accomplished the feat.
Hitting Bombs
Tennessee’s 98 home runs this season are its second most ever in a single season (107 in 1998) and rank fourth in the nation. The Vols have hit 16 home runs during their five NCAA Tournament games.
With Rucker’s two-home run performance this past Sunday against LSU, seven different Tennessee players now have at least one game of multiple jacks this season. The Vols have 11 total occurrences of one player hitting multiple home runs in a single game this season.
UP NEXT
Tennessee will play again on Tuesday, June 21 at either 2 p.m. or 7 p.m. ET against either Mississippi State or Texas, depending on the results of Sunday’s games. For the most up-to-date information on the 2021 College World Series, click HERE.
-UT Athletics
